Vanutau Kiwanis

When Werner Pechan, Peter Wilson & Paul Buckley, a group of expatriate Aussies in Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila decided that life without a racetrack just wasn’t the same as back home, they decided to build one. And so became Port Vila Kiwanis Club Charity Cup Day, established in 1985 and described as a race day that stops a nation!

Attracting over 10,000 spectators to a makeshift course on the outskirts of town, the event is now a permanent fixture on Vanuatu’s social calendar with visitors coming from far and wide. The track moved from site to site in the early years, forcing organizers to carve out a new concourse from scratch every July. The course is now sited between the airport and the abattoir and becomes a visual spectacle on race day, described as being “awash with colour”.

Temperatures usually stay in the mid-20s, so it's usually perfect weather. Punters can have a flutter on eight races on the day from a local tote run by a team of Port Vila bank clerks. But the contest on the track pales next to the blistering competition in the fashions on the field. Dozens of locals and visitors dress up in their finery for the chance to win lucrative prizes.

Because there are not always enough horses for all the afternoon races, horses and jockeys sometimes race several times under different names. The racing is serious and even lures Australian stewards and race callers to officiate.

The aim of the event is to raise money for local schools through the Kiwanis club. The mission of the Kiwanis is to financially assist Kiwanis International in serving the children of the world. The Kiwanis has existed since 1939 and has carried thousands of projects to help the children around the world. Vanuatu Post supports this cause and is proud to assist through this “racy” stamp issue.